Environmental Policy

The Eco Coffee Company recognises that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods. We will encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same.

Responsibility- Isabelle Mitchell - Environmental Manager

Isabelle is responsible for ensuring that this environmental policy is implemented, however, all employees have a responsibility in their area to ensure that the aims and objectives of this policy are met.

Policy Aims

We strive to:

·         Comply with all relevant regulatory requirements

·         Continually improve and monitor environmental performance

·         Continually improve and reduce environmental impacts

·         Incorporate environmental factors into business decisions

·         Increase Employee awareness and training.

Paper

We will:

·         Minimise the use of paper in the office

·         Reduce packaging as much as possible

·         Seek to buy recycled and recyclable paper products

·         Reuse where possible or Recycle all paper and cardboard through our waste management provider

Energy and Water

We strive to:

·         Reduce the amount of energy used as much as possible

·         Switch off lights and electrical equipment when not in use

·         Adjust heating with energy consumption in mind

·         Take energy consumption and efficiency into account when purchasing equipment

·         Choose renewable energy and equipment which doesn’t use fossil fuel.

·         Reduce the amount of water used within the company

Office Supplies

We will:

·         Evaluate if the requirement can be met in a sustainable way

·         Evaluate if renting or sharing is an option before purchasing equipment

·         Evaluate the environmental impact of any new products we intend to purchase

·         Favour more environmentally friendly and efficient products wherever possible

·         Reuse and recycle everything we are able to

Transportation

We will:

·         Favour ‘Green’ vehicles and maintain them rigorously to ensure on-going efficiency; all of our vans run on diesel and our cars feature ‘Eco Auto-Stop’. We route the drivers in the most efficient way to minimise journey times & maximise on service levels

·         Encourage staff to continue to actively participate in existing car sharing schemes

·         We are in the process of substituting the vehicle diesel for HVO fuel which is renewable

Maintenance and Cleaning

We will:

·         Use cleaning materials that are as environmentally friendly as possible

·         Use materials in any office refurbishment that are as environmentally friendly as possible

·         Only use licenced and appropriate organisations to dispose waste

Waste Management and Recycling

We Choose to:

·         Use as little plastic as is possible, then make sure it is recycled

·         Recycle all the packaging which comes through our door

·         Sell Single use cups which can be recycled or composted

·         Change the plastic sleeve that package those cups to paper sleeve

·         Collect all our coffee Grounds to recycle into the Electricity grid

·         Prevent risk of pollution by separating different recyclable materials

Monitoring and Improvement

We will:

·         Comply with all relevant regulatory requirements

·         Continually improve and monitor environmental monitor environmental performance

·         Continually improve and reduce environmental impacts

·         Incorporate environmental factors into business decisions

·         Increase employee awareness through training

·         Review this policy and any related business issues at weekly management meetings

Culture

We Will:

·         Update this policy at least once annually in consultation with staff and other stakeholders where necessary

·         Involve Staff in the implementation of this policy, for greater commitment and improved performance

·         Provide staff with relevant environmental training

·         Work with suppliers, contractors and subcontractors to improve their environmental performance

·         Use local labour and materials where available to reduce CO2 and help the community

Social and Ethical Commitment

We choose to:

·         Support local businesses by working locally

·         Support local charities by allowing staff to spend time as relief volunteers

·         Support local charities by collecting money for them through donations

·         Support Mental Health at work through available seminars

Transparency within our supply chain

We strive to:

·         Purchase mainly from companies with a similar ethos on life, being Fairtrade, Organic, waste conscious, with fossil fuel and plastics awareness, paying fair wages. We require a certain level of transparency and, where this cannot be checked on a local level, documentation is required to show that equal opportunities are regulated, and human trafficking or slavery laws are met.